About Sonoma Plaza History
Mission, Vision, and Values
Sonoma Plaza History enriches the experience of living in and visiting Sonoma by bringing Plaza history to life through pictures, stories and special events. We believe that engaging with a sense of place encourages community spirit, nourishes a sense of belonging and promotes cultural tourism.
Our Team Members
Jim Silverman, project creator and director, who grew up in New Orleans, is a retired public librarian.
Kimberly Blattner, citizen activist, anchors a key advisory role for Sonoma Plaza History as she does for several Sonoma nonprofits.
Jared Height, web master and graduate student in public history, finds elegant digital solutions to complex problems.
Mike Acker has an artistic gift of portraying a place over time. He spearheads a project documenting the history of several unincorporated Sonoma Valley communities known as the Springs.
Arthur Dawson, Sonoma Valley historical ecologist and poet, scripted several videos for the tour. His son, Larkin, provided sound engineering.
Maxime Simonet, Jim Silverman’s son, provides the voice and video production talent for the tour.
Abbey Lee, Sonoma thespian, narrated the videos in English. Claudia Mendoza Carruth and Marisol Alvarez translated video scripts into Spanish and loaned their dulcet tones to the tour.
Lisa Carlsson, Sonoma design and marketing hub of our community shaped this project to be of value to locals and visitors. Her daughter, Sofia, created the Sonoma Plaza coloring pages.
Thanks to Rick Bolen and Russ Johnson, sharp-eyed photographers, for their work.
Community Resources
Blue Wing Adobe Trust
Post Office Box 142
Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.bluewingadobetrust.org
Sebastiani Theater Foundation
476 1st Street East
Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.sebastianitheatre.com/the-magazine
Sonoma League for Historic Preservation
Maysonnave House
291 1st St E, Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.preservesonoma.org
Sonoma State Historic Park
20 E Spain St #5729
Sonoma, CA 95476
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=479
Sonoma Valley Historical Society
– Depot Park Museum
– Marcy House Archive
270 1st Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476
https://sonomavalleyhistory.org
Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau
453 1st Street East
Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.sonomavalley.com
Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club
574 1st Street East
Sonoma, CA 95476
https://www.sonomavalleywomansclub.org
Founding Sponsors
GRANTS
Supervisor Susan Gorin
Lions Club of Sonoma
Manitou Foundation
Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley
PROGRAM FRIENDS
Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley
KSVY 93.1 FM Community Radio in Sonoma
La Luz Center
Museum of Sonoma County
Sonoma Community Center
Sonoma League for Historic Preservation
Sonoma Valley Library
Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Sonoma Valley Regional Library
Vintage House
LEGAL ADVISOR
Mary Piasta
Haeuser, Valluzzo & Piasta LLP
SPONSORS
Kelli Anderson
Gayle Arrowwood and Tom Weaver
Sondra Bernstein
Jurine Biers
Selma Blanusa
Kimberly and Simon Blattner
Christine Bohar
Suzanne Brangham
Marchelle and Curt Carleton
Ethel and Eugene Daly
Rayne Dessayer
Julie Diamond
Peter and Jared Drake
Carolyn Fogg
Jette and Michael Franks
Pamela and Fred Gilberd
Andrea and Victor Gonzalez
Meg Kellog
Jan Koehler
Marcia and Jim Levy
McCorma and Tom Perot
Francis McCormick
Jean Montague and Chad Overby
Jennifer and Byron Nichols
Whitney Reese
Vanessa Ronglein
Michelle and Dan Scaff
Holly Seaton
Claudia Sims
Dana Simpson-Stokes and Ken Stokes
Lucy Weigner and Robert Crane